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British Nuclear Weapon Stockpiles, 1953–78 John R Walker Available Online: 31 Oct 2011

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British Nuclear Weapon Stockpiles, 1953–78 John R Walker Available Online: 31 Oct 2011 This article was downloaded by: [FCO - Open Source Team] On: 23 February 2012, At: 00:49 Publisher: Routledge Informa Ltd Registered in England and Wales Registered Number: 1072954 Registered office: Mortimer House, 37-41 Mortimer Street, London W1T 3JH, UK The RUSI Journal Publication details, including instructions for authors and subscription information: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/rusi20 British Nuclear Weapon Stockpiles, 1953–78 John R Walker Available online: 31 Oct 2011 To cite this article: John R Walker (2011): British Nuclear Weapon Stockpiles, 1953–78, The RUSI Journal, 156:5, 66-72 To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/03071847.2011.626278 PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR ARTICLE Full terms and conditions of use: http://www.tandfonline.com/page/terms-and-conditions This article may be used for research, teaching, and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematic reproduction, redistribution, reselling, loan, sub-licensing, systematic supply, or distribution in any form to anyone is expressly forbidden. The publisher does not give any warranty express or implied or make any representation that the contents will be complete or accurate or up to date. The accuracy of any instructions, formulae, and drug doses should be independently verified with primary sources. The publisher shall not be liable for any loss, actions, claims, proceedings, demand, or costs or damages whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with or arising out of the use of this material. THE RUSI JOURNAL BRITISH NUCLEAR WEApON STOCkpILES, 1953–78 John R Walker As part of a RUSI Journal double feature on the history of British nuclear stockpiles, arms control historian John R Walker presents the latest research on the size and evolution of the British stockpile of nuclear weapons from when they were first made available to the Royal Air Force in 1953 to the peak of production in 1978. illiam Hague told the House Supply) and the various branches within enormous scale of the task in compiling Wof Commons on 26 May them involved with nuclear weapons detailed, comprehensive and accurate 2010 that he was ‘pleased to issues. Piecing together the jigsaw is accounts spanning a period of almost announce today that, for the first time, a demanding task as there is no single thirty years. the Government will make public the piece of paper that provides a coherent, It has proved slightly easierto maximum number of nuclear warheads authoritative overview; thereisofcourse provide accuratefigures fordeliverable that the United Kingdom will hold in its also the nagging doubt that key pieces nuclear weaponsinthe period of 1958– stockpile–infuture, our overall stockpile of the jigsaw possibly are still missing. 64,asRichard Moorehas shown in his will not exceed 225 nuclear warheads. Definitional issues are also a problem: recentbook Nuclear Illusion, Nuclear This is a significant step forward on what is a nuclear weapon? There were Reality,published by Palgravein2010. previous policy, which was to publish weapons deployed to the RAF and Royal Appendix 1ofthis book providesa only the number of warheads classed as Navy but there were also surveillance breakdownofthe numbers of each “operationally available”, the maximum rounds and even spare components weapon type and the totalstockpile number of which will remain at 160. We (nuclear and non-nuclear), such as fissile numbersfor each year.3 Britain’sstockpile believe that the time is now right to be cores and aircraft bomb tail assemblies. increased from sixty-three weaponsin more open about the nuclear weapons Constantly changing plans are other 1958 to 264 in 1964.4 As thispresent that we hold.’1 So, for the first time in significant complexities to disentangle. study shows,the UK stockpile expanded almost sixty years as a nuclear weapons Establishing the facts from the available to amaximum sizeofupto462 warheads state, the UK has released a ministerial historical record is thus inordinately by the late 1970s,with the majoroverall Downloaded by [FCO - Open Source Team] at 00:49 23 February 2012 statement on its total nuclear weapons difficult. expansion in totalnumberscoming at the stockpile. This is a radical departure The following table is the first very end of the 1960sand early 1970s. from previous practice whereby total attempt to compile as accurate a picture The early weaponswereexpected to have stockpile numbers were a closely held as possible of the different types of ashort shelf lifeasthe consequences of secret. It is perhaps now timely to look British nuclear weapons and their ageingwereunknown at thattime; it was also at historical holdings of UK nuclear numbers from November 1953, when only the WE177 weaponsand Polaris weapons to see what sort of picture can the first weapon was made available to warhead thathad much longer life spans. be painted, drawing on official papers at the RAF at Wittering, to 1978, when the If the 462 figureisaccurate, then it would The National Archives at Kew.2 UK stockpile appears to have been at, seem thatinsimple numerical terms the Thereare manyfiles availableatKew or close to, its highest level in terms of UK nuclear weaponsstockpiletodayhas containing information on the plans and totalnumbersproduced. This table is also decreased by over 50 per centsince 1978. requirements for, and historical holdings an initial contribution to the promotion of, UK nuclear weapons stockpiles from of greater transparency on historical Reading Notes the earlydaysofthe programme rightup aspects of nuclear weapons stockpiles In addition to the points mentioned until the end of the 1970s.fo In rmation based on official records – a factor that above, there are several important is scattered across a diverse range of may assume greater significance as caveats to bear in mind when reading records from the main government further progress is made towards the the table. departments(the Admiralty,Air Ministry, goal of nuclear disarmament. It also First, the information included has Cabinet Office, Ministry of Aviation, highlights that there are inevitable been taken and pieced together from Ministry of Defence and Ministry of gaps in the historical record and the declassified papers in The National © RUSI JOURNAL OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2011 VOL. 156 NO. 5 pp. 66–72 DOI: 10.1080/03071847.2011.626278 RUSI 156_5 TEXT.indd 66 17/10/2011 07:15:40 John R Walker Archives or other official tohis ries or it is not clear whether all of the plans Clearly, more work is required to statements: no closed recordswereused. referenced were fully implemented. build a detailed review of UK nuclear There are still gaps and uncertainties, so Finally, further research might weapons holdings for each year and to this represents the best estimate from be able to reveal a more detailed clarify some of the current uncertainties these sources. Furthermore, some of the breakdown of the numbers and types of and possible inaccuracies. Investigation information is based on inference from we apons held in particular years across into the numbers of Chevaline warheads the available sources. the whole period. This information is is also needed, as these arejustbeginning Second, there is a distinction in the currently available for only parts of the to become available at Kew.5 It is known, UK system between weapons deployed to period under review and it is possible for instance, that the first outload of the RAF and RoyalNavyand those held as that still retained, or yet to be released, Polaris missiles wad s limite to twelve spares to cover for maintenance cycles. papers may have the full answers. There missiles with twowarheads, butasofyet Third, the use of papers covering is, however, a timetable of the planned there are no details regarding the total manyyearsand from severalgovernment figures for WE177A and C production number of warheadsbuilt and howmany departments often reveals apparent from the later 1960s to the mid-1970s, were planned in total. ■ contradictions. These can be partly which envisaged roughly two weapons explained by changing plans and per month being completed and Dr John RWalker worksinthe Arms requirements, often causedbybudgetary made available to the RAF. During the Control and DisarmamentResearch Unit retrenchment. initial part of this period the second of the Foreign and Commonwealth Fourth, the table’s detailed generation bomb, Red Beard, and the Office. His book, British Nuclear Weapons footnotes reveal the various sources first thermonuclear warhead, Red Snow, and the Test Ban 1954–1973 was of information, some of which are were being withdrawn from service and publishedbyAshgatein2010. Afollow- historical accounts written some broken down. Recovered fissile material up book, Britain and Disarmament: The years later, at the time the table wasre-used in the WE177s, and probably UK Nuclear,Biological and Chemical was compiled; in other words, these in the Polaris warheads too, but theredo WeaponsArms Controland Programmes accounts look back to previous reports not appear to be any definitivesources 1956–1975,will also be published by and understandings. Other sources were from the archives that demonstrate the Ashgate in December 2011. future-looking statements on intentions actual withdrawal and dismantlement and plans, which were apt to change timetable for each year. as circumstances changed. As a result, NOTES 1 Hansard, HC Debates, Oral Answers, 6 expressed here are the author’s own and 4 Ibid., p. 256. Downloaded by [FCO - Open Source Team] at 00:49 23 February 2012 May 2010, Col. 181. not necessarily those of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. The author is 5See The National Archives DEFE 23/222, 2The bulk of the research for this paper also most grateful for advice on the ‘UK strategic nuclear deterrent: options, was originally undertaken as part of table from Richard Moore and Brian Chevaline Project and Production a project at the Mountbatten Centre, Burnell. Progress in the DCDP (IV) Area up to 15 Southampton University, funded by October 1980’.
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